Apparatus for manufacturing carpeting

ABSTRACT

Carpet manufacturing apparatus which permits patterned carpeting to be made using a bonding technique. Individual tufts of pileforming material are mechanically handled and presented to a backing material and bonded thereto, using, for example adhesives. The patterning is dictated by the colour of yarn presented to a tuft-cutting mechanism and is controlled by a Jacquard or spool mechanism.

Unite States atent Coates 1 Feb. 4, 1975 APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING 2,539,180 1/1951 13116166 139/7 1) CARPETNG 331113; 2113?? 1 "1127/12 rm 0n Inventor: HerbertC0ates,She1f1 1ear i a 3,379,222 4/1968 Fleischer 6161. 139/6 Yorkshire, Great Brltam 3,387,577 l/1968 Spanel et a1. 150/72 3,400,738 9/1968 F1 h *t'l. 139/2 [73] Asslgneei Bonded carpetsLlmltedLondon 3,531,343 9/1970 c L l q ust jnf ..156/435 England 3,640,786 2/1972 Carpenter 156/72 1 Filed: p 1, 1972 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPL1CAT1ONS [21] App], N6; 2 5,5 5 446,267 4/1936 Great Britain 156/435 Primary Examinen-Daniel J. Fritsch [30] J l fiz l gg z g g m Data 32975/72 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Young & Thompson uy reat ntam 52 us. 01 156/443, 156/72, 156/196, [57] ABSTRACT 5 /435 5 /499 15 /519 15 /5 2 Carpet manufacturmg apparatus whlch P61111115 pat- 51 Int. Cl D04h 11/00 tamed carpetmg be made 9 bondmg tech- 5 Field of Search 1 72 435 443 499 nique. Individual tufts Of pileforming materiel are mechamcally handled and presented to a backmg mate- 156/519,562, 139/7 A, 7 C, 7 E, 6, 2

ml and bonded thereto, usmg, for example adhesrves. 1561 Cite 251"??1???$ 1 11? d 1135; If *5 5533211511? UNITED STATES PATENTS an r a Jac uard or s 001 mechanlsm. 1,849,534 3/1932 Peterson 139/6 q p 2,358,368 9/1944 Victor 156/435 17 Clams, 8 Drawing Flgures PATENTEI] FEB 41975 SHEET 10F 4 PATENTED FEB l 75 SHEET u 0F 4 APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING CARPETING This invention relates to apparatus for manufacturing carpeting and other piled fabrics (hereinafter referred to as carpeting).

Carpeting can be manufactured in a variety of different ways such as weaving, tufting, needling or bonding. In each method of manufacture the basic step comprises securing pile tufts to a carpet backing material in one way or another. The present invention is particularly concerned with the method of manufacture in which the pile tufts are bonded, either by means of an adhesive or in some other manner such as ultrasonic welding, to the carpet backing material, such carpeting will hereinafter and in the appended claims be referred to as bonded carpeting."

It is known to manufacture bonded carpets with pile tufts of a single colour and with multi-coloured pile tufts which are arranged at random.

Furthermore, in the known methods of forming bonded carpeting each tuft is inserted individually and so that one end thereof is embedded in the adhesive.

An object of the present invention is to provide apparatus for manufacturing bonded carpeting having pile tufts and particularly for manufacturing patterned bonded carpeting.

According to the present invention there is provided apparatus for forming bonded carpeting comprising feed means for feeding a web of backing material through the apparatus, an adhesive applicator for applying a coating of adhesive to one side of the web, a yarn selection device for selecting a yarn from which a pile tuft is to be formed, a tuft cutting mechanism for cutting tufts of a predetermined length from the yarn, and a tuft gripping, forming and embedding mechanism adapted to grip said tufts during cutting, form each tuft into a substantial U-shape and embed the tufts in the adhesive in a predetermined order.

Preferably, said apparatus includes a curing zone in which the adhesive is cured after the tufts have been embedded.

Preferably also, said tuft gripping, forming and embedding mechanism includes a cam plate over which the cut tufts are passed so as to form the tufts into a substantial U-shape before embedding.

Preferably also, said tuft gripping, forming and embedding mechanism includes a plurality of grippers each having pivotally connected arms adapted to sequentially move together to grip a tuft; move away from the yarn selection device a distance equal to a predetermined tuft length and hold the tuft during operation of the tuft cutting mechanism; move the cut tuft over said cam plate to form the tuft into a substantial U-shape enclosing the tip of one of said arms; move towards the web of backing material so as to embed the tuft in the adhesive; release the tuft; and move away from the web and back to the yarn selection device to grip a subsequent tuft.

Preferably also, when each gripper is opened after tuft embedding the arm embraced by the tuft remains stationary relative to the web of backing material.

Preferably also, a tuft rake is provided to hold the previously embedded tufts clear of the grippers during embedding of subsequent tufts.

Preferably also, each gripper includes gripper bars adapted to grip a plurality of tufts.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a general arrangement drawing of apparatus according to the present invention with, for convenience, some of the parts shown in their different operating positions;

FIG. 2 is a detailed end view of part of the tuft gripping, forming and embedding mechanism;

FIG. 3 is a detailed side view corresponding to FIG. 2; and

FIGS. 4 to 8 are schematic views showing the operation of the tuft gripping, forming and embedding mechanism.

Referring to the drawings, apparatus for manufactur ing carpeting and other piled fabrics comprises a main frame, indicated generally at l, and on which the various operating parts of the apparatus are mounted. An input roller (not shown) is provided to continuously feed a web of backing material 2 to the apparatus after passing around guide rollers 3 and 4. Carpeting 5 is removed from the apparatus by a takeup roller 6; the feed roller and the takeup roller are driven in timed relationship to the other operations of the apparatus, as will be described below.

The backing material after passing around the guide roller 4 moves over a planar surface 7 formed as part of a casting 8. The latter is mounted on the main frame 1 and forms part ofa heating chamber containing a plurality of heating elements 10, and an extractor fan 11.

The heating elements may be in the form of infra-red filaments or high-wattage lights.

An adhesive applicator in the form of a doctor blade 12 is mounted on the main frame 1 above the surface 7. The blade 12 is height-adjustable relative to the surface 7 and is inclined relative to a plane normal to the direction of travel of the web of backing material 2.

A guide surface 13 for the backing material and for the carpeting forms one side of the chamber 9 and comprises a first porition 13A extending at right angles to the surface 7 and connected thereto by a fillet radius 14. Embedding of the piled tufts and initial curing of the adhesive occurs as the carpeting moves over the portion 13A. A second portion 138, inclined to the first portion 13A, is provided opposite the heating elements 10 and it is while the carpeting is passing over the sec end portion 138 that final curing of the adhesive takes place.

A yarn selection device, indicated generally at 15, comprises a plurality of spools 16 each mounted on one link of an endless chain 17 which is adapted to be driven in timed relationship to the other operations of the apparatus, as will be described below. Each spool 16 has wound on to it a plurality of yarn lengths of predetermined colour, the number of yarn lengths corresponding to the number of pile tufts to be inserted across the width of the carpeting to be formed, and the number of spools corresponding to the number of pile wound on to the spool and a locating bar 28 is provided on the lower surface of each yarn guide 25, locating bars being adapted to co-operate with a recess 29 formed in at least one pivotally mounted locating arm 30. The arm 30 is mounted on the main frame 1 through a shaft 31 and is pivotal between an operating position, shown in full lines in FIG 1, and an inoperative position, shown in chain dotted lines, in FIG. 1, by a pneumatic piston and cylinder 32 adapted to rotate the shaft 31 through a lever 33. A plurality of arms 30 may be provided across the width of the machine.

A tuft cutting mechanism 21 is provided adjacent the yarn selection device and comprises a comb 34 which is reciprocable into and out of engagement with yarn lengths extending out of the yarn guide holes 27. The comb 34 is mounted on the main frame 1 through a dove-tail slide 35 and is operable by a pneumatic piston and cylinder unit 36 in timed relationship with the operation of the other parts of the apparatus. A cutting blade 38 is provided on the comb 34 and is reciprocable along the length of the comb by a pneumatic piston and cylinder unit (not shown), the cutting blade 38 being guided on the comb 34 by means of a dove-tail slide 37.

A tuft gripping forming and embedding mechanism, indicated generally at 40, is provided below the yarn selection device 15 and adjacent the portion 13A of the backing material guide surface 13. The mechanism 40 (see FIG. 2) comprises a pair of gripper bars 41 and 42 mounted on two pivotal arms 43 and 44, respectively, the gripper 41 extending beyond the bar 42. The arms 43 and 44 are pivotal about an axis 45 with a scissorlike motion. The gripper bars 41 and 42 extend across the length of the apparatus, and as can be seen in FIG. 3, a plurality of arms 43 and 44 are provided along the length of the gripper bars. The arms 44 are keyed to a shaft 46 coaxial with the pivotal axis 45 and the arms 43 are pivotal about the shaft 46. The shaft 46 is rotatable in bearings 47 mounted on a supporting shaft 48 and rotation of the shaft 46 is effected by a pneumatic piston and cylinder unit 49 acting on a lug 50 keyed to the shaft 46.

Extended gripper arms and 56 connected to the gripper bars are pivotally mounted on the shaft 46 and are connected at their lower ends by a spring 57 which biasses the extensions 55 and 56 together and consequently biasses the gripper bars to the closed position. Rollers 58 and 59 are pivotally mounted on bosses 60 and 61 on the arms 43 and 44, respectively. The rollers 58 and 59 are adapted to engage cam wedges 62 and 63 mounted on a bar 64 which extends across the apparatus and is reciprocable along its length by a pneumatic piston and cylinder unit 65.

The entire gripper mechanism is supported by the shaft 48 which is mounted on a hollow square beam 66 through a dovetail slide 67 so that the gripper bars may be moved towards and away from the guide surface 13 by a pneumatic piston and cylinder unit 68. The hollow beam 66 is mounted on the main frame 1 through vertical cylindrical slides (not shown) and is reciprocable away from and towards the yarn selection device by a rotating cam 70 co-operating with an adjustable cam follower 71 mounted on the lower surface 72 of the beam 66. The cam 70 is adapted to reciprocate the beam 66 in timed relationship with the movements of the other parts of the apparatus.

Adjacent the tuft gripping, forming and embedding mechanism 40 is provided an arcuate cam plate 75, the function of which will be described in detail below and below the cam plate 75 there is provided a tuft rake 76. Both the cam plate 75 and the tuft rake 76 extend across the full width of the apparatus. The tuft rake 76 is operable by two pneumatic piston and cylinder units 77 and 78 so as to be moved sequentially away from the cam plate 75 parallel to the portion 13A of the guide surface 13, at right angles to and away from the portion 13A, parallel to the portion 13A towards the cam plate 75 and at right angles and towards the portion 13A, in timed relationship to the other movements of the apparatus. Below the tuft rake 76 there is provided a carpet pile guide surface 79 spaced apart from the portion 13A by an amount equal to the thickness of carpeting to be formed and extending parallel to the portion 13A. The surface 79 can be formed from glass or stainless steel.

In operation, the web of backing material 2 is unwound from the feed roller and passed through the apparatus and connected to the takeup roller. An adhesive paste having impact adhesive properties is placed on the backing material in front of the doctor blade 12 so that the latter spreads the adhesive evenly over the backing material to form a coating of a predetermined depth. The backing material is then continuously indexed through the apparatus in timed relationship to the movements of the other parts.

As the backing material 2 is indexed through the apparatus the chain 17 moves a spool 16 into the operative position and the arm 30 is raised by the piston and cylinder unit 32 so that the notch 29 engages the bar 28 and rigidly retains the V-notch 20 on the block 19. During this operation the cam is raising the beam 66 and consequently the gripper bars 41 and 42 towards the yarn guide 25. When the spool is securely held the gripper bars embrace the row of yarns extending from the yarn guide holes 27 (FIG. 4) whereupon the gripper bars are moved together by longitudinal movement of the bar 64 and the consequential engagement of the cams 62 and 63 with the rollers 58 and 59 forcing the latter apart. As the gripper bars 41 and 42 move together they grip the yarns after which the cam 70 drops the beam 66 by a predetermined distance equal to the length of one tuft (FIG. 5). The cam 70 holds the gripper bars in this retracted position while the comb 34 is moved into engagement with the yarns and the cutting blade 38 is operated to sever the tufts from the yarn whereupon the beam 66 is dropped by the cam to its lowest position, as shown in full lines in FIG. 1.

The shaft 48 is then rotated about its axis through approximately 90 during which the tuft, held between the gripper bars, engages the cam plate and is formed into a substantial U-shape embracing the tip of the gripper bar 41 (FIG. 6). When the gripper bars reach the end of their arc which corresponds to the end of the cam plate 75, the pneumatic piston and cylinder unit 68 is operated so that the gripper bars move towards the portion 13A of the backing material guide plate 13 and so that the bent portion of the tuft is embedded into the adhesive coating (FIG. 7). The piston cylinder unit 49 is then actuated so as to move the gripper bar 42 away from the gripper bar 41 thereby releasing the tuft and allowing the gripper bars to be withdrawn by the pneumatic piston and cylinder unit 68 and rotated back through 90 (FIG. 8) so as to begin another cycle with the next spool which has been indexed round by the sprocket wheel 18. By virtue of the gripper bar 41 extending further than the gripper bar 42 the latter does not engage the adhesive coating on the backing material.

During embedding of the tufts the backing material is stationary. On withdrawal of the gripper blades the tuft rake 76 is moved towards the backing mate-rial by the piston and cylinder unit 78 after which time the backing material is indexed forward by a predetermined distance corresponding to the separation of the rows of pile tufts.

During the indexing the tuft rake 76 is moved by the piston and cylinder unit 77 together with the backing material and is retained in this position until the next row of tufts is inserted thereby preventing the gripper bars disturbing the already embedded preceding row of tufts.

After embedding of the tufts the carpeting is gradually indexed over the portions 13A and 13B of the backing material guide plate 13 during which time curing of the adhesive takes plate assisted by the heat produced by the heating elements 10. During movement over the portion 13A the pile tuft guide plate 79 prevents distortion and damage to the pile tufts while the adhesive is still in a liquid or gelled state.

While in the above embodiment the movements of the various parts of the apparatus are accomplished in timed relationship by pneumatic piston and cylinder units or cams, clearly any suitable form of pneumatic, hydraulic, electrical or mechanical actuators can be utilised. Furthermore the gripper bars 41 and 42 could be replaced by individual grippers, i.e., one for each tuft, and the yarn selection device could operate on the Jacquard principle as opposed to the spool principle as described above.

Furthermore, in an improved embodiment bonding of the tufts to the backing material may be accomplished by ultra-sonic welding when both the tufts and the backing material are formed from synthetic material. In this case the gripper arm 4] acts as an electrode.

Further improvements or modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

We claim:

1. Apparatus for manufacturing carpeting comprising feed means for feeding a web of backing material through the apparatus, a yarn selection device of the spool or Jacquard type for selecting a yarn from which a pile tuft is to be formed, a tuft cutting mechanism for cutting tufts of a predetermined length from the yarn, a tuft handling mechanism comprising a projecting member defining a former, cam means for bending a cut tuft into a U-shape about said former with the bent portion exposed and spaced from the web, said tuft handling mechanism including means to grip said tuft during tuft cutting by said cutting mechanism and during said bending of said tuft about said former, said tuft handling mechanism also including means to move said projecting member with a tuft bent thereabout toward the backing material to present the tufts to the backing material in a predetermined order, and means for bonding the tufts to the backing material.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the tuft to handling mechanism is mounted on a beam which is moved away from and towards the yarn selection device by at least one rotary cam.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, in which the movement of the tuft handling mechanism is adjustable.

4. Apparatus for manufacturing carpeting comprising feed means for feeding a web of backing material through the apparatus, an adhesive applicator for applying a coating of adhesive to one side of the web, a yarn selection device for selecting a yarn from which a pile tuft is to be formed, a tuft cutting mechanism for cutting tufts of a predetermined length from the yarn, a tuft handling mechanism comprising a projecting member defining a former, cam means for bending a cut tuft into a U-shape about said former with the bent portion exposed and spaced from the web. said tuft handling mechanism including means to grip said tuft during tuft cutting by said cutting mechanism and during said bending of said tuft about said former, said tuft handling mechanism also including means to move said projecting member with a tuft bent thereabout toward the backing material to embed the tufts in the adhesive in a predetermined order.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4, in which said apparatus includes a curing zone in which the adhesive is cured after the tufts have been embedded.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3, in which said tuft handling mechanism includes a plurality of grippers each having pivotally connected arms adapted to sequentially move together to grip a tuft; move away from the yarn selection device a distance equal to a predetermined tuft length and hold the tuft during operation of the tuft cutting mechanism; move the cut tuft over said cam means to form the tuft into a substantial U-shape enclosing the tip of one of said arms; move towards the web of backing material so as to embed the tuft in the adhesive; release the tuft; and move away from the web and back to the yarn selection device to grip a subsequent tuft.

7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6, in which when each gripper is opened after tuft embedding the arm embraced by the tuft remains stationary relative to the web of backing material.

8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6, in which a tuft rake is provided to hold the previously embedded tufts clear to the grippers during embedding of subsequent tufts.

9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6, in which each gripper includes gripper bars adapted to grip a plurality of tufts.

10. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5, in which said curing zone includes a chamber containing a plurality of heating elements and an extractor fan.

11. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6, in which said grippers are moved towards and away from each other by a linearly movable cam.

12. Apparatus as claimed in claim 11, in which said linearly movable cam is activated by a pneumatic piston and cylinder.

13. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6, in which said grippers are mounted on a shaft for rotation from said yarn selection device across said cam means.

14. Apparatus as claimed in claim 13, in which said shaft is rotated by rack and pinion gearing, said rack being activated by a pneumatic piston and cylinder.

15. Apparatus as claimed in claim 8, in which said tuft rake is operable by two pneumatic piston and cylinder units operating in timed relationship.

16. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6, in which said grippers are moved towards the backing material by a pneumatic piston and cylinder unit.

17. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6, in which said gripper arm enclosed by the bent tuft extends further toward the backing material than the other arm. 

1. Apparatus for manufacturing carpeting comprising feed means for feeding a web of backing material through the apparatus, a yarn selection device of the spool or Jacquard type for selecting a yarn from which a pile tuft is to be formed, a tuft cutting mechanism for cutting tufts of a predetermined length from the yarn, a tuft handling mechanism comprising a projecting member defining a former, cam means for bending a cut tuft into a Ushape about said former with the bent portion exposed and spaced from the web, said tuft handling mechanism including means to grip said tuft during tuft cutting by said cutting mechanism and during said bending of said tuft about said former, said tuft handling mechanism also including means to move said projecting member with a tuft bent thereabout toward the backing material to present the tufts to the backing material in a predetermined order, and means for bonding the tufts to the backing material.
 2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the tuft to handling mechanism is mounted on a beam which is moved away from and towards the yarn selection device by at least one rotary cam.
 3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, in which the movement of the tuft handling mechanism is adjustable.
 4. Apparatus for manufacturing carpeting comprising feed means for feeding a web of backing material through the apparatus, an adhesive applicator for applying a coating of adhesive to one side of the web, a yarn selection device for selecting a yarn from which a pile tuft is to be formed, a tuft cutting mechanism for cutting tufts of a predetermined length from the yarn, a tuft handling mechanism comprising a projecting member defining a former, cam means for bending a cut tuft into a U-shape about said former with the bent portion exposed and spaced from the web, said tuft handling mechanism including means to grip said tuft during tuft cutting by said cutting mechanism and during said bending of said tuft about said former, said tuft handling mechanism also including means to move said projecting member with a tuft bent thereabout toward the backing material to embed the tufts in the adhesive in a predetermined order.
 5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4, in which said apparatus includes a curing zone in which the adhesive is cured after the tufts have been embedded.
 6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3, in which said tuft handling mechanism includes a plurality of grippers each having pivotally connected arms adapted to sequentially move together to grip a tuft; move away from the yarn selection device a distance equal to a predetermined tuft length and hold the tuft during operation of the tuft cutting mechanism; move the cut tuft over said cam means to form the tuft into a substantial U-shape enclosing the tip of one of said arms; move towards the web of backing material so as to embed the tuft in the adhesive; release the tuft; and move away from the web and back to the yarn selectiOn device to grip a subsequent tuft.
 7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6, in which when each gripper is opened after tuft embedding the arm embraced by the tuft remains stationary relative to the web of backing material.
 8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6, in which a tuft rake is provided to hold the previously embedded tufts clear to the grippers during embedding of subsequent tufts.
 9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6, in which each gripper includes gripper bars adapted to grip a plurality of tufts.
 10. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5, in which said curing zone includes a chamber containing a plurality of heating elements and an extractor fan.
 11. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6, in which said grippers are moved towards and away from each other by a linearly movable cam.
 12. Apparatus as claimed in claim 11, in which said linearly movable cam is activated by a pneumatic piston and cylinder.
 13. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6, in which said grippers are mounted on a shaft for rotation from said yarn selection device across said cam means.
 14. Apparatus as claimed in claim 13, in which said shaft is rotated by rack and pinion gearing, said rack being activated by a pneumatic piston and cylinder.
 15. Apparatus as claimed in claim 8, in which said tuft rake is operable by two pneumatic piston and cylinder units operating in timed relationship.
 16. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6, in which said grippers are moved towards the backing material by a pneumatic piston and cylinder unit.
 17. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6, in which said gripper arm enclosed by the bent tuft extends further toward the backing material than the other arm. 